Putin has been compared to Hitler when he strikes the Red Cross facility in “one of the darkest crimes of war.”

According to the Kyiv Post, Russian soldiers attacked a Red Cross building in the besieged southern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, committing “one of the biggest atrocities of the conflict.”

According to Ukraine’s human rights commissioner, Lyudmyla Denisova, occupiers and enemy aircraft targeted the structure, which was plainly designated with a red cross on a white backdrop. Ms Denisova stated that until today, the only other forces that have shelled houses and vehicles marked with red crosses were “Hitler’s German troops.”

“Artillery fired on a structure marked with a red cross on a white background, signifying the presence of injured, civilian, or humanitarian cargo,” she continued.

According to one top Ukrainian official, Russian soldiers have ringed the city and their constant and indiscriminate shelling has killed at least 5,000 people, but potentially as many as 10,000.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told a Liaison Committee of MPs that Britain is considering “stepping up a gear” in its military support to Ukraine, perhaps deploying armoured vehicles to help ease the siege of Mariupol.

“The issue in Mariupol is that Ukrainian defenders are now very well besieged, and there is a humanitarian crisis,” he stated. The question is whether we can assist the Ukrainians in retaking Mariupol if that is possible. Would armour, APCs (armoured personnel carriers), or armoured Land Rovers be beneficial to them? We are definitely looking at it.”

Aid organisations have repeatedly requested access to Mariupol, describing the situation as “hellish,” and Ukrainian officials have accused Russian forces of forcefully deporting civilians to Russia.

Ms Denisova was unable to ascertain whether or not injuries were sustained, but she stated that the occurrence constituted a war crime and a “severe breach of the 1949 Geneva agreement.”

Civilians who have managed to flee Mariupol describe it as a place where “death is everywhere.”

“We buried our neighbours, we saw death everywhere, and even my children witnessed it,” said Mariia Tsymmerman, who escaped to Zaporizhzhia two weeks ago but is now making the risky trek back to distribute supplies and assist others in fleeing.

“We believe there might be thousands of deaths, civilian casualties,” said Matilda Bogner, director of the UN human rights mission in Ukraine.

Furthermore, Putin’s forces have been accused of kidnapping more than 70 individuals from a hospital, including women and physicians.

On Wednesday, the Ukrainian far-right outfit Azov Battalion reported on the social media site Telegram that Russian military attacks had damaged the warehouse.

Maxar Technologies’ satellite image validates the accusation, stating that the northern end of the facility was damaged between March 19 and 22.

A second military attack happened on the southern end of the structure between March 23 and March 26.

NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System sensor satellite data backed up the assertions. According to the report, a number of explosions were heard in the area on March 20 and every day between March 22 and March 25.

According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, the “picture being distributed online indicates damage to the ICRC facility in Mariupol.”

“We do not have a team on the ground there, therefore we have no more information on potential victims or the scope of the damage,” they added. We haven’t seen any ICRC personnel at the warehouse since March 15, and we have no idea how it’s being used since then.

“We are afraid that even a structure with a red cross on it may sustain significant damage.” Civilian infrastructure, hospitals, and medical workers are untouchable. The parties must do everything possible to avoid putting military objectives in or near highly populated areas and to safeguard civilians from the consequences of assaults.”